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My cat is acting very strange, very worried! Please help...

IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR ALL YOU CAT OWNERS.
Hello, I am a cat owner of a cat who is 10 years old. I have had him for 9 1/2 years! He is an indoor cat, and nothing about his environment except a pile of laundry has changed. When we woke up this morning, he was cuddling all over my boyfriend and I (we live together), he loved on us and all was normal. We got up and went downstairs, and he didn't follow like usual. I didn't think anything of it at the time. Shortly after, I saw him sitting at the top of the stairs. I called him and he came walking down (stretching with every step he took), and when I picked him up and sat him on the couch where he usually sits, he hunched down like he was scared and his pupils got big, and he ran upstairs. A little bit later we went up there, and he ran from us and hid under the bed. He will let us pet him once he's under the bed, and still purrs. But he won't come out. I lured him out once with Tuna. He ate it and even loved on both of us for a little bit before I tried bringing him downstairs again and he panicked and ran back upstairs and under the bed again. He is a very lovable, social cat who has never done this before. I need advice on it, because at the moment I'm way too broke to afford a vets visit and I'm really worried about my kitty! Has anyone elses cat done this? He still won't come down. He just hides under the bed...
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7052683 tn?1392938795
Hi Heather,

Have you come up with a solution to your cat's weird behavior?? Let us know, K?

CML
Helpful - 0
242912 tn?1660619837
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hello...the laundry; do you use dry sheets?  My kitty is obsessed with dryer sheets.  I'm wondering if your kitty could of somehow ingested part of a one...if you do in fact use them.  

Without actually seeing what you mean by 'hunching', if it's what I think it is, this could be a respiratory issue.  Does he normally stretch with every step he takes?   Once he was placed on the couch that 'gives' his diaphragm might of been constricted making him panic.  

Of course your boy might just be freaked out from the laundry itself.  Just thought I would throw this idea out there, as I've had to take away many dryer sheets my kitty has scooped from the trash!

Please keep us updated~
Helpful - 0
7052683 tn?1392938795
Hi Heather,

Cats will hide under the bed when they are not feeling well. They just want to be alone and that is cause for concern to have them checked out.....but you are saying kit just does not want anything to do with downstairs. Sooo let's assume it is something frightening him downstairs. Like AnnieBrook mentioned, cats are super sensitive to noise we cannot hear, checking electrical circuitry is a good idea. Many a cat has saved many a life by acting wacky, warning their owners of unseen danger.

His safe zone is upstairs under the bed, and he still relates to you by allowing you to pet him and purring. He knows you two, he just does not like what he KNOWS about downstairs. It is worth investigating.

Apparently whatever it is it happened overnight, since he was fine with you guys downstairs before this. Think hard what may have changed from one day to the next. Even smells can make a difference.

Good luck in your investigation, and let us know if you come up with anything. If not , perhaps just Call your vet and mention his actions and see if they have a clue. Then you will not have to pay for a visit, right?

CML
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
No, he was fine while with us the whole time then after we went downstairs he wouldn't come too. He's really scaring me like the way he's acting is so odd, he's never acted like this before. He's making me really uneasy. He acts like we're strangers!
Helpful - 0
134578 tn?1693250592
(I mean, by accident of course.  Men can be a little rough with cats, treating them more like dogs than the cat likes.)  Do you think there are new sounds coming in from the street?
Helpful - 0
134578 tn?1693250592
He was cuddly and then suddenly frightened?  You say nothing has changed in the house.  Cats can hear high-pitched sounds people can't hear -- do you think any of your appliances or wireless stuff (phones, computers) suddenly started putting out a different sound?  (You could check this by turning off all the circuits for a few minutes and seeing if, when you turn them back on, the cat gets scared again.)  Is there any possibility your boyfriend hurt the cat?
Helpful - 0
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